It has been announced the Johnny’s duo Tackey & Tsubasa will officially be going their separate ways.

Previously in September 2017 it was decided that the duo would go on hiatus, just before their 15th anniversary. During the initial announcement the reason given for their hiatus was “differences in the direction of activities as a unit“.

For the past few years the group has been in limbo, mainly due to member Tsubasa Imai‘s health issues. Unfortunately Imai suffers from inner ear problems, which made it very difficult for the two to be able to perform together.

Hideaki Takizawa is planning to retire from entertainment activities by the end of the year. He will then focus full-time on being a producer behind the scenes helping train Johnny’s Jr talents, develop stage productions, produce their live concerts, and various other duties.

Imai will be leaving Johnny & Associates to focus on his health, hoping to resume activities in the future once his physical condition becomes better.

Tackey & Tsubasa made their official debut on September 11th, 2002 with the album “Hatachi“. The two have gone on to release 16 singles, 5 studio albums, and 2 mini-albums.